Winegrowers and merchants recently gathered in the southeastern French city of Montpellier at the annual Vinisud trade fair to brainstorm on ways to create a unified wine brand for the region.

Vinisud, the International Mediterranean wine and spirits exhibition regroups the wines from southern France, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Tunisia, Morocco, Algeria and Lebanon.

Most of the 1,700 exhibitors and 33,000 visitors at the show come to make deals, but the event also gave the neighbouring countries a chance to brainstorm on a fresh image – in hope of boosting exports, especially to Asia.

Asian markets are a key growth area for wine producers the world over, with China in particular predicted to become the largest wine-consuming nation within 20 years, overtaking the US.

Data released in January by the trade show Vinexpo predict the combined China-Hong Kong market to grow 54.3 per cent between 2011 and 2015, even as growth slows in traditional consumer markets in Europe.

China is already the largest export client for France’s Bordeaux region, inspiring producers from the Mediterranean region, which begins just south of Bordeaux, to look increasingly towards the vast market.